I, the Outsider
( , )|set_in = Helvore, , .|awards = , Le Graives Prize for Literature, Monigatti Award.|ISBN = 0-306-40615-2|followed_by_quotation_marks = Essays on the Outsider}}I, the Outsider ''(Helvoran: Je, l'Autre, ''IPA: /ʒɜ 'lɔtʁɜ/), or alternatively, ''I, the Other One,'' ''is a novel by the 20th century Helvoran novelist Eric Ravel, often regarded as Ravel's finest literary achievements and as one of the greatest works of Helvoran literature ever to be written. Je, l'Autre is made up of two contrasting narrations, the first of which is set in the first person from the perspective of an unnamed, androgynous, and unspecified character, and the second of which consists of a more traditional narrative style, depicting the lives and eventual deaths of several generations of characters, all of whom are revealed to have a profound effect on the primary narrator's life despite centuries of separation. The novel both opens and concludes from the perspective of the first narrator, whose soliloquies reflect on the nature of time, power, individualism, society, and most importantly, his/her identity. The novel gained instant popularity upon its publication in 1909, with many declaring it Ravel's best work. Henri de Mettanis described it as "the most truthful account into the Human condition ever to be written - a masterwork in sheer emotion alone". I, the Outsider won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1909, and remains popular even today, where it is often studied in schools as part of a literary analysis of the Helvoran language. Plot Summary: , author of the poem Trilogie Humaine, from which Ravel's epigraph is drawn.]] "''Memoria Memoriae'', une covésse erget lange, ton les ombres de duite pasende". ("In Memory of Memory, a gift long lost, to the shadows of endless time"). Thus reads the isogogical epigram to Ravel's novel, taken from H. B. de Vois' 1854 poem Trilogie Humaine. The quote has often been cited as a reference to one of the central themes of the novel, that being the repetition of history and the fundamental inability of the novel's characters to reflexively realise this repetition. The novel is written in four parts, with an introduction an epilogue which are significantly shorter than the middle four parts. Both the introduction and epilogue are set from the perspective of an unnamed and unspecified character. The narrative style of these parts is significantly different to that of the other parts, being more of a philosophical discourse in the style of a train of thought. The middle four parts are each set in a different time, from the point of view of a different character, and from a different location. Over the course of the novel, it is realised that all of these characters have had a profound influence on each other's lives. Introduction: ' ''"It was early that morning, I recall, that I had discover time. Strange, is it not, that something so abstract can unite us all in such a fundamental way. How the actions of thousands of individuals across time and space can affect other people that they never knew. It is in this way, I think, that I have realised what time is. How it is not some arcane linearity, an incomprehensible line from the forgotten past to the elusive future, but rather something more profound. Something inexorably and ubiquitously human. I sit and watch the steam rise from my tea. I admire the gentle patterns in the smoke, the rise and fall of the shadow. I think about the vapour – the ghost of what the tea was. In a way, it is the tea's successor - its future. Two times are simultaneously present - the vapour cannot exist without the tea itself, which cannot have existed in the first place without the work of millions of hands – labourers, farmers, engineers – a cacophony of human machines, working towards a single, simple object. One which none of them can possibly imagine – a stranger, sitting here, admiring their tea. Meta-cognition across history. A'' c''ause and an effect, multiplied by millions of times to produce the fabric of humanity. We are all so very interconnected by our time, our God. And perhaps that is who I myself actually am: The whispers of time". So reads the entirety of the first part of Ravel’s novel. A mere 217 words, the introduction is written from the perspective of an unnamed, unspecified character, whose brief soliloquy provides the sole introduction to the central themes of the novel proper. Ravel’s introduction has been extensively analysed since its publication. In particular, Ravel’s unusual attitude to the concept of time has been described as "novel and provocative", with the introduction introducing the issue to be explored by the following parts. Ravel was said to have come across the idea for ''Je, l'Autre ''whilst drinking tea, similarly to the introduction. The idea of time being a web of interconnection as opposed to a linear entity provided the seed for the introduction, which Ravel quickly constructed and used as a basis for the rest of his novel. '''Part I: "I am who I am. But that is not enough". Set in the court of King Richarde III in 1390-91, Part I of the novel is set from the perspective of Ámion de Saignblois, the Duke of Entriffe and a high ranking official in Richarde III's government. The first part opens with the capturing and imprisonment of de Saignblois, who has been accused of the murder of fellow courtesan Richarde Leveau. de Saignblois was discovered with the body of Leveau in his study, and seized by the palace guards. The novel then proceeds to explain the situation in which de Saignblois did or did not murder Leveau, not yet having stated whether or not de Saignblois was innocent. The next chapter then jumps back to June 1390 (eleven months previously), Part II: Rossterre, 1666-1675. "The King is dead, and so too our Gods." Part III: "I have lived my life in the shadows of the past. And thus, in the shadows of my tormentors" Paris and St. Petersburg, c1719. Part IV: "He is here - Napoléon. God, he is here". Rossterre, 1812. Epilogue: "The Outsider - the child of the people, they themselves the whispering of emptiness and silence and hypocrisy and time. I am the Outsider. And yet, am I not also themselves?" Characters: * Unspecified: 'Parts I and V of the novel are told from the first person perspective of an unspecified, androgynous character. When asked why Ravel had left the main character of the novel unspecified, he said "I, the Outsider ''is fundamentally a tale about the ubiquity of human nature and human struggle. As such, I wanted the reader to feel as if the story was about them...that the character's feelings and thoughts were those of the reader...that they were truly part of the story, as we all are, in a way". * 'Àmion Saignblois, Duke of Entriffe '(Part I) , depicted here.]] * 'Henri de Baudelaire: '''The central character of Part II, set in Rossterre during the Helvoran Civil War. de Baudelaire is a supporter of the Republican leader Édouard Rouelle, however, is deeply cynical of some of the means Rouelle used to attain his Republic. Inverted, conscientious, and perceptive, de Baudelaire sees the fundamental issues with Rouelle's government and is horrified by them. Whilst initially keeping quiet, de Baudelaire eventually takes a stand for what he believes and is ultimately executed for treason prior to the end of the Civil War. de Baudelaire is loosely based on the philosopher Anthoinede Queval, a close friend of Rouelle who later objected to his dictatorship and was executed. * '''Marie de Baudelaire (née de Vois) '(Part III) * 'Alexandre de Baudelaire '(Part III), eldest son of Henri de Baudelaire. Killed. * 'Émilie de Baudelaire '(Part III, Part IV), eldest daughter of Henri and Marie. * 'Jon de Baudelaire '(Part III), second son of Henri and Marie. * 'Christian de Baudelaire '(Part III), youngest son of Henri and Marie. * 'Claude-Sébastian Montcriffe '(Part IV), husband of Emilie de Baudelaire. * 'Eloise Montcriffe '(Part IV), daughter of Emilie de Baudelaire and Alexandre Montcriffe. * 'Alexander Karanovich '(Part IV), Russian lover of Eloise. * '''Nikolai Ramensky * Michael Ramensky '''(Part V), great-grandson of Eloise, alive during the decade of darkness. Style: Major Themes: Historical Context: Adaptions: '', ''a 1928 Russian adaption of Ravel's novel.]] Since the publication of Ravel's novel in 1909, numerous adaptions in multiple artistic mediums have been produced. Some of these are listed below. '''Film and Television: * 1921: ''Je, l'Autre'', ''a joint Helvoran and French adaption of the novel, starring prominent actors of the period such as (as Michael Ramensky) and Anne de Boy (as Eloise Montcriffe). * 1924: [[I, the Outsider (1924 Film)|''I, the Outsider]], ''an English adaption of the novel, and first foreign adaption. * 1928: ''Time, ''a Russian adaption of the novel which greatly deviated from the original plotline. * 1935: [[I, the Outsider (1935 Film)|''I, the Outsider]], ''an American adaption of the novel, again starring Anne de Boy (although as Marie de Baudelaire). '''Opera:' Music: In Popular Culture: See Also: * Kingdom of Helvore * Helvoran Literature * Culture of Helvore Category:Helvore Category:Culture of Helvore Category:Books Category:Javants